Day 8 - Potsdam's palaces, lakes and espionage

 Wednesday saw us taking a bus into Potsdam centre, and with help from some really friendly and helpful locals, we made it unscathed. Each bus has its own ticket machine onboard, and you basically buy a one trip ticket for €2.30 and are transported to the Rathaus (Town Hall). From there you can catch a tram, or simply walk along broad pleasant streets.

Our destination was the Bahnhoff (railway station) to join up with what we thought was a prebooked walking tour of the city Centre, but was actually a guided open topped double decker tour with some walking at stops on the way. As it turned out, this was much better.

An organ grinder at Potsdam Bahnhoff.


The tour gave a fascinating history of Cold War Berlin and Potsdam, and how the Russians ran their sector. One particular bridge (Potsdam is full of lakes and rivers) was described by the guide as the Bridge of Agents where The Russians and the Allies traded captured agents. I rather suspect the Bridge of Agents was more probably known to the Allies as the Bridge of Spies..

Our first stop was at the Schloss Cecilienhof, where Churchill, Truman and Stalin met to decide the fate of Europe. There was apparently a highly regarded exhibition there, but unfortunately no time to visit it.



The next stop was Schloss Sanssouci, built as a summer retreat for the Prussian King Frederick the Great, and apparently no women were allowed in it (yes, he was a bit light footed, it seems). Frederick regarded himself as an equal to the great Roman Emperors, and had Romanesque columns and statues everywhere.

This huge windmill was working.





The last stop was at the Neues Palais, a palace again built by Frederick the Great just because he could, and to crow at the world how wonderful he was. He had a hidden secret though - his war victories cost so much that he had to borrow from Jewish bankers to fund the building. I don't think the debt was ever repaid.

The first photo below is not the new palace, The building on the left was just for the kitchens, and the one on the right was staff quarters! Frederick only visited the palace once a year for some royal duties, and even then only used a small extension on the side of the palace.



The afternoon was spent looking around a highly prosperous Potsdam centre, eating our first Bratwurst and Currywurst of the trip, and a bus trip back to the site for a BBQ. We were a bit unsure of which stop to get off the bus, but one passenger recognised us from the ride in and helped again. 

I've got to say that, apart from one waitress who got out of the wrong side of the bed that morning, we have been royally treated. Everyone one is helpful, polite, pleasant and cheerful

Thursday is an admin day - clothes washing etc, but on Friday we are going into Berlin itself.
 


Comments

  1. Unknown26 August 2021 at 05:11

    Excellent reading David. There are excellent free walking tours in Berlin. Go through the Brandenburg gate into the old East part and they are there with Umbrellas open that says free walking tours. You just pay them what you think they deserve at the end of the tour, I paid €3, which is the average. The run in English about every hour and take about an hour half. Try and get to the Holocaust museum, it makes you think, quietly! Enjoy

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